Category: Hardware

The holidays are a strenuous time for people, finances take on new light and finding some personal time for hobbies like gaming becomes a challenge. For those on the console front, Turtle Beach is offering a bit of temptation. From November 23, 2018 – January 31, 2019 players that pick up a new headset will also get 5 passes for one-night game rentals from Redbox. It’s a nice little partnership in a way, letting people hop on for a moment of zen or extreme inner rage with a brief 24 hour rental on their Xbox One or Playstation 4 console.

Even if that’s out of personal budget for the season, there’s always a chance to put a new set on the wish list and time to claim those even after the holidays wrap up, with almost an entire month available to redeem those codes afterward. Tired of that OEM setup? It might be time to go up to a Recon, Stealth or even an Elite series for even deeper immersion.

If DXRacer and Playseat weren’t going it for you in the upper tier levels of gaming chairs, SPARCO is now throwing their hat into the ring. The racing seat producer has expressed their interest in tackling the needs of eSports, sim and everyday players who want a comfy chair during their experience.

SPARCO breaks these down into 3 categories for their product line:

GRIP: Their entry level unit introduces contouring, synthetic leather for durability, lumbar adjustments and reclining features. It has the staples of many entry level products you see on the market for gaming chairs.

STINT: For those working from home or practicing in long sessions the design goals change, aiming to ventilate the backrest through a shift in fabric and cushion materials, their goal is improving blood flow which helps keep users focused and comforted.

COMP: Touted as the Luxury model of the group, the series actually has a split within itself as the C and V. The C series takes a unique presentation with a carbon fiber backrest while the V uses a matte black fiberglass backrest. Both units have DNA from the SPX SPARCO seat.

It’s an interesting pursuit on their part, users have paired racing seats from many companies to their own simulation rigs for a while now, having one with casters certainly would be a nice shift but I don’t know if it’s enough to really grab the market as pricing isn’t available.

As someone who uses a DXRacer King Series I’ve been quite happy with my chair and it’s been well over a year since I bought it. While it’s nice to have durable and comfortable seating that caters to my height, it’s also important to cater to the audience differences as enthusiasts aren’t all 5’7″ 155lbs. Features like the C and V series have are interesting but performance gains from a carbon fiber backrest on a wheeled chair aren’t really anything I can claim exist, it’s more of a vanity thing unfortunately.

We’ll have to see where things take off from here when SPARCO gets their products to retail and understand where this line is going from there.

Ladies and Gentleman Nintendo’s true next gen system the “Nintendo Switch”, in a nice little trailer that was drop early this morning. The trailer shows off the systems mobility, throughout the video we see it station like a traditional console or carried around like a handheld, the system also gave up a glimpse of some of its 3rd party games with Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and NBA 2k.

Nintendo Switch’s Controller

The showing of 2 major 3rd party games in my opinion was huge; fans have express their disappointment for Nintendo’s lack of 3rd party games, but it seems like Nintendo tends to address this with this console and that’s great news, fans We also got a glimpse of a new 3D Mario, Legend of Zelda, Splatoon 2.

The release date for the Nintendo Switch is March 2017, from now to its official release Nintendo has to put all their attention to the systems marketing campaign they can’t afford to have another flop like the Wii U has become. If they keep dropping trailers like this one and bring along some strong 3rd party games I don’t see any reason for Nintendo to not be able get their status back as one of the Top gaming consoles along the side of Xbox One and PlayStation 4

Nintendo’s Wii U just days away form it’s debut, Nintendo in the past couple months gave gamers the scope on the TVii and other Apps that will be ready for launch. With online gameplay, eShop, and backwards compatibility support coming with the system’s Day One update you be sure video apps such as Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Netflix and YouTube will arrive launch day while TVii will be released in December. Originally Tvii was expected to be released alongside Wii U on November 18th but for some unclear reasons Nintendo has pushed back TVii’s launch date hopefully in the up coming days or weeks more info will be available until then check out the TVii Demo trailer down below..

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is quickly approaching. Press conferences begin on Monday, June 4thfollowed by the show on June 5th through June 7th, expect a ton of surprises to be revealed during the show.

Ever wanted an awesome helmet like Iron Man? Wished you could virtually control everything with just your hand? Well that day just got a little closer thanks to NZXT and their new Phantom Armor kit! Check out the images and specs below!

“Our Phantom Armor is just what every hardcore gamer needs” said Johnny Hou, Founder of NZXT. “The lightweight suit will take you through endless battles and provide you the ultimate gaming experience.”

Have a smaller case or HTPC system that needs some improved cooling? Noctua has a new solution to get it done with their latest unit. The NH-L12 runs dual fans for extreme cooling, the NF-F12 and NF-B9 PWM fans run in dual configuration for maximum airflow or in single fan mode to save space at 66mm of total height on the cooler.

Platforms:

Intel LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA775

AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1

It’s not surprising to see this move, many are moving to HTPC units or small factor enclosures to maximize their home entertainment theater experience. With the rise of fusion chips from AMD and the Sandy Bridge series it means high performance doesn’t a dedicated GPU for rendering and other expansion cards. Noctua CEO summarizes this situation well when talking about the cooler.

“The industry trend towards Small Form Factor and Home Theatre PCs is well-established, but there’s still a lack of suitable high-quality quiet CPU coolers”, explains Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. “Building a powerful PC always requires a capable CPU, which in return demands a competent cooling solution. But who wants his HTPC to sound like a jet engine? This is precisely where the NH-L12 steps in.”

The PWM support in the NF-F12 and NF-B9 keep the noise under control but also come with low-noise adapters to bring it down to 1200/1300rpm to force it to the bottom end of the spectrum. The system also comes with NT-H1 compound and SecuFirm mounting clips to hold it tight. Coming in at $59.90 it’s a solid deal coming from the company that makes the infamous NH-D14 cooler.

Yesterday HTC unleashed the One series to the world, a next-gen phone for the company delivering a focus on user experience as they maximize their smartphone in everyday use. The series will come in 3 variants for users to pick from, each of them addressing the needs of their targeted demographics, there’s a list below but we’ll talk about the upcoming features to these ICS powered phones carrying HTC Sense 4.

Camera changes:

ImageSense is a new platform delivering improved sensors, lenses and software to their line of phones. This feels like a natural progression after using so many of their phones over the years since the Droid Eris. The development doesn’t stop there, HTC also includes a new ImageChip to help deliver fast captures, high quality under hard conditions and quick review options for users.

As seen in 2011, HTC has increased its effort into producing higher quality sound output from their devices. Beats by Dr. Dre Audio is now standard across the line allowing for more authentic sound reproduction in any of your apps. Those on Cyanogenmod might already notice this flaw in regular audio playback when using the DSP tools to fix their frequency balances on the phone. Sync manager allows for traditional management to continue on and it also includes a Music Hub to match with favorite services and applications.

Let the new phone envy begin, Dual core is so last year.(literally) Everyone who buys a phone and immediately wants a new one, knows that quad core is the emerging hotness. With the introduction of the Tegra 3 powered Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF201 debuting first, quad core now seems to be the new standard.

While the GSIII wont be running a Tegra chip with its secret 5th core, it will have a 4core version of the Samsung Exynos processor running at 1.5Ghz. It seems to be a newer more powerful version that runs in current SII’s. So if you like the SII but wish it would load angry birds faster, you’re in luck.

Another interesting bit is that it will feature a ceramic case. Now before you complain about how you have no coffee mugs left because they are shatter magnets, its not that kind of ceramic. Think track day ceramic brakes rather than pottery barn #1 dad mug.

If you like to wait until the last minute to find the perfect gift, then Nintendo has you covered. Begining on Feb 10th, you can pick up a shiny Pink Pearl 3DS for $169.99.

While not exactly a brand new color since it was previously available in a Nintendogs bundle, it is still unknown how limited the run will be. If you already bought that special someone the Nintendogs bundle, looks like you may need to consider other gift ideas since this is the same system. Same price too just no free doggy game.

Here is Nintendo’s press release:

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo of America has a perfectly pink new option for consumers looking to win over their loved ones this Valentine’s Day. Starting Feb. 10, a Pearl Pink edition of the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system – previously available only as part of a limited-edition bundle – will be available as a stand-alone item at retailers nationwide, offered at a suggested retail price of $169.99.

In addition to free Wi-Fi access at thousands of locations across the nation, fun augmented-reality features and the ability to enjoy games and videos in 3D without the need for special glasses, Nintendo 3DS has a host of built-in social features that can keep users connected to their special someone throughout the year, plus a great lineup of games (sold separately) that lovebirds can enjoy together:

With the system’s built-in camera, sweethearts can each use their system to capture and share 3D photos and videos of romantic outings this Valentine’s Day – and always.The new Swapnote™ application, which is available for download from the Nintendo eShop at no cost, lets users create and send customized 3D love notes to their sweethearts from their Nintendo 3DS.The adorable virtual pets in the nintendogs™ + cats game can bring out players’ sweet side and make great portable companions on those lonely days when they’re apart.Users can share creative passion with their beloved by playing downloadable games such as Pushmo™ and Freakyforms™: Your Creations, Alive!, both available from the Nintendo eShop, and by exchanging QR codes to show off their heartfelt handiwork.The multiplayer modes in the Mario Kart™ 7 game invite players to get their hearts and their karts racing on a wild array of 3D Mario-themed courses.For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.